The Wind Runners
by the ticking clock
Summary: "He sees Aang in her sometimes" A series of oneshots about Korra, her relationships with her friends, and the hard path of being the Avatar.
1. Chapter 1

**This will story will be a collection of one-shots and drabbles about Korra and Tenzin, their bond, their friendship, Korra's head strong personality, and how she is different than Aang...please let me know what you think, and send me prompts for other chapters, I would love to continue writing about these characters! **

He sees Aang in her, sometimes.

In many ways she is the complete opposite of his father-wild and rebellious and angry, but when she is quiet...

Sometimes, at night, he catches her standing by her window, staring out over the water. She is calm and peaceful, the wind hums to her, tugging at bits of her hair, ruffling her clothes. She cannot hear the wind yet, she is not an airbender, but he can. She turns to look at him, not with blue eyes that burn, as hers so often do. Her eyes are as calm and cool as the rippling lake outside, and in the starlight, they appear almost faded.

He sees Aang in her eyes, in that gentle look of affection, in the slight twitch of her lips when she almost smiles, in that careless way she leans against the windowsill.

His throat tightens, and it takes him a moment before he can find his voice. "What are you doing up, Korra?"

"I was just thinking." And then the image of Aang is gone, and she is Korra again, scared, defensive, seventeen year old Korra.

He walks over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. It is a relief when she does not push hum away. "I'm always here if you need to talk, Korra." He says, the same thing his father had said to him, so many years ago.

The wind hisses at him as it leaves her mouth in a small sound that might have been a laugh or a sob he was not sure. She looks away quickly, back over the water, and he can see that she is calming herself, her pride not allowing the tears to fall. "Thank you, Tenzin," her tone is soft, genuine, but the words are clearly a dismal.

He hesitates. He does not want to leave her here alone, where her nightmares torment her, where she has only the soft lapping of the water to comfort her.

But she is Korra, and she is independent and prideful and headstrong, and right now, he knows she wants to be alone.

So he dips his head, and backs away. "Goodnight, Korra."

When she speaks, her voice sounds so much like his fathers that he almost stops. "Goodnight, Tenzin."

As he walks away from Korra bedroom, a single tear slips down his cheek.

And this time, he's crying for both Aang and Korra. Aang, because he knows his father would know what to do in this situation, and sometimes he misses him so much it _aches, _and Korra, because she is so young, so lost in the world, and she won't let him guide her home.

Korra is not Aang. She is herself, wild and angry and full of fire. But sometimes, just sometimes, Tenzin sees his father in the young Avatar, and he's not sure if it makes him want to laugh or cry.


	2. Chapter 2

**Inspired by episode 4 and Bainku's story, By Lamplight**

Staring out at the island, his father's island, he feels nothing but guilt. Horrible, haunting guilt that seemed to burn at the pit of his stomach and spread all through his body like a poison. He had let Korra do this, and now he couldn't see her, couldn't reach her...panic made his throat tight.

"Even if she's not an airbender yet, she's still the Avatar," One of the guards says, almost casually, as if Korra's life has no meaning to him, as if she is a toy. "She won't need are help."

"She's a _child," _Tenzin snaps, and he feels the wind respond to his fury. It hisses and spun with more intensity, making the water of the lake ripple.

As the clock strikes midnight, an eerie feeling of icy stillness settles over the group. It lasts for several moments, and then the ice is shattered by Korra's scream.

He doesn't think. He snaps his glider open and leaps into the air, calling the wind to him, forcing it to sweep at him from behind and propel him forward.

OoO

It is dark on the island, and for the first time the place does not hold comfort for him. Every shadow is a monstrous creature, every rock could be Korra's broken body.

"Korra?" He calls, and feels the air ripple as his shout echoes across the island. "Korra!"

There is no response.

He's running now, not knowing where he's going, not particularly caring. Running is an action, and he needs to act now, because Korra has to be safe, she has to be alive...

And then he sees her. Her profile is lit by a shadowed lantern, and he can see that she is curled in on herself. In the breaking, flickering light he cannot tell if she is breathing.

"_Korra!" _The cry that tears from his throat surprises him. It's the anguished shout of a parent calling out to their child, of a man that is desperate and lost, and panicked.

And then he is running, running as fast as he can possibly run, letting the wind that whipped past him aid his speed.

Halfway down the corrider, he sees her stir. Her eyes flicker open, their blue very bright in the shadowed lamplight. "Aang?" She whispers.

Hearing his father's name from her lips, in that broken, desperate whisper makes him feel a thrill of something that might be joy or fear, or maybe both. Dropping to his knees beside her, he grips her arm. "Korra, Korra are you all right?"

She struggles to sit up, and he sees that she's confused, upset and confused and terrified. "I-I'm fine."

He doesn't want to question her, doesn't want to make her more frightened then she already is, but he has to know. "Korra, did Amon take your bending away?" The words come out harsher than he intended, but she doesn't react to his tone.

Panic crosses her face for half a second, and she opens her palm; fire crackled to life and burned between her fingertips. "No," She says, almost to softly for him to hear, and the flames vanish in a wisp of smoke as she closes her hand. "No, I'm fine. I'm fine..." Tears are in her eyes now, and instinctively he reached out to her, but pulls his hand away in the last second. This is not his daughter, this is Korra, and she burns with fire and anger and energy. He does not know how she will react to being comforted.

"I was so terrified," Her voice is quiet, but there is a hysterical note in it that he has never heard before. "You were right," She looks at him out of the corner of her eye, and the tears are starting to fall now, small pieces of crystal salt water streaking down her cheeks. "I've been scared this whole time...I've never felt like this before...and, Tenzin," Now she is completely facing him, her face twisted and desperate, the tears streaming down her cheeks, dripping down her chin and neck, getting caught in her hair. "Tenzin, I don't know what to do!"

And then she throws herself at him, burying her head against his chest and holding him as tightly as she is capable. She's sobbing, her whole body convulsing with the strength of her pain and fear, and her hands curl into fists against his back, securing her grip and ensuring that she will never be free of him.

He wraps his arms around her and holds her as he would a young child, as he would his own daughters. He holds her and strokes her hair, reaching out and tucking her closer to him. Her sobs echo against the walls, and the wind whistles back, a mournful, haunting sound.

He whispers something that his father told him, something that comes automatically from his lips. But as he holds her, he doesn't see the headstrong Avatar he has come to know these past few weeks, the girl who is so passionate and angry not trusting. He sees a broken teenage girl. He sees Korra. He sees a young woman who has become his daughter.

Eventually, her sobs ease to silent tears and she falls asleep in his arms. Gently, he stands, cradling her against his chest as he walks out of the corridor to the many boats and guards that are clamoring outside. He ignores them. He can fly Korra home himself. His glider held Aang and himself many, many times. He snaps it open and calls to the wind.

Korra stirs in his arms. "Tenzin?" She whispers.

He wraps an arm tighter around her and presses a kiss to her tousled hair. "You're safe, Korra." he says as the air bends around them at his command, carrying them home. "You're safe."


	3. Chapter 3

**Inspired by: ****Bainku's story, By Lamplight**

The thunder wakes her.

She can feel it's vibrations through the floorboards as she slips out of bed and goes to stand at her window. The sky is black, the rain lashing at the ground so hard that she can feel it striking the earth as well, she can feel the sharp particles of water, each individual one as it strikes the soil. It is the benefit of being both a waterbender, and an earthbender, but mostly, it gives her a headache.

Naga is anxious about the storm; she is whining and pawing at the ground, her dark eyes worried. Korra soothes her with a few pets. "It's alright, Naga. It's just a thunderstorm."

Her best friend flicks her ears, as though she's not convinced, and rests her head back on her paws with a sigh.

The energy she feels from the pounding rain makes her to restless to stand still. She finds herself wandering, walking as quietly as she can so she doesn't disturb the rest of the house.

She ends up standing at the door, staring out into the storm. The lightening splits the sky, it's electricity and fire making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Or maybe she's just scared.

"Korra?"

She can't help the small shriek that leaves her lips as she spins around, defensive, halting the rain around her into sharp particles of deadly ice.

But it is only Jinora. She looks so young and small standing there in her nightclothes, younger than she usually looks next to her sister and brother.

Letting out a breath, Korra released the ice and let it fall to the ground, shattering across the floor between them. "Jinora, what's wrong? did I wake you?" She does her best to sound gentle, but the young airbender and her have never been able to really connect. Jinora is nice, but she also has the tendencies to follow Korra around, and the fact that she is so much more skilled at airbending than Korra does make Korra a little annoyed, no matter how justifiable it is.

Jinora shook her head. "No. The storm did."

"Are you scared?" Korra takes a step closer to the young girl, but hesitates. Maybe Jinora doesn't want to be comforted.

"No...but mother and father are asleep, and they don't like to be woken up." There is a slight tremor in her voice that deny's her statement of not being afraid, but Korra allows that, and let's the statement pass unchallenged.

"Did you want to ask me something?"

Lightening strikes again, illuminating the corridor, and Jinora's small face, highlighting the shadows across her cheekbones, making her appear older.

"I just didn't want to be alone." The young Airbender moves closer to Korra, bridging the akward gap between them. "Nights like this make me think of grandfather."

A chill runs down Korra's spine at the mention of Aang, although she doesn't know why. "W-why?"

Jinora shrugs. "Father always tells us the stories about how Aang was caught in a thunderstorm, thinking he failed the world because everyone thought he was dead. He could have drowned. And sometimes...when there's a storm, I wonder how scared he must have been. Father always said he was very brave, but he was only a little older than me. I would have been scared."

_So would I. _Korra sighs, and looks out over the churning waters of the lake, the dark thunderheads, the lashing rain. "He sounds like he was a wonderful person." _Aang, I wish I could talk to you...I could really use some help right now. I don't know what to do, and I know you would. You would know what to do about Amon. About everything. _

"I wish I knew him..." Jinora's voice is a soft whisper, but there is such sadness in her tone that Korra turns and takes her hand.

"You do," She says.


	4. Chapter 4

**a HUGE thank you to everyone who has reviewed! you guys are amazing! I'm glad you're enjoying the story! please send me suggestions and/or prompts. I would love to write them! **

**let me know what you think of this chapter :)  
**

"I can't do it!"

The frustrated shouts echoes across training area, and Tenzin sighs, looking up.

Korra is rigid, her hands fisted at her sides, her blue eyes burning. Every aspect of her stance says _Fire. _

"Yes, you can," He says calmly, and closes his eyes so he doesn't have to see her scowl. His young pupil has been particularly difficult today. "You've done it before."

"Doesn't mean I can do it now," She mutters, but he hears the sound of her footsteps, and knows she is running through the exercise again.

Even with his eyes closed, he can tell she is too tense for the air to obey her command. She is not flowing, not allowing the air to whisper to her, bend and move and flow with her movements. She is resisting it.

Her cry of anger confirms his suspicions.

Heat rushes by his head as she lets loose a stream of fire. He opens his eyes, and sees her jumping and spinning, punching and kicking, letting fire rage about her like a wild whip of fury. It illuminates her savage expression, but he can see that she is close to her breaking point; furious tears that she refuses to let fall gleam in her eyes.

He sighs, and runs a hand across his face. How can he get through to her? How can he get her to relax and feel...

He stops. A memory is tugging at the edges of his consciousness.

_"Earth bending was hard for you?" He asked. "But you are so good at it!"_

_ His father laughed, and put a hand on his shoulder. "I wasn't always, Tenzin. Toph taught me."_

_ "Weren't you mad at her, at first?"_

_ Aang smiled. "I was. It was only when I realized that I could use my emotions and the courage I felt when I protected my friends, and channel that into my bending that I could move earth. Before I was to timid."_

_ "But air came easily to you, like it does for me?"_

_ His father blew out a sharp breath, causing the air to ripple, and lift up Tenzin's hood, covering his eyes. He pulled it away, giggling. "Air, does come easily to you, doesn't it, Tenzin? Why do you think that is?"_

_ "Because it's so free, and so am I." _

_ Aang picked him up so they were eye to eye. "Exactly." _

Freedom. Relating bending to emotions, to other forms of bending. Korra had been able to airbend in the arena without even noticing she was doing it. If he can make her see...

What element did she use the most? which element was most comforting to her? He has seen her use fire and earth readily enough, but that is only when she is angry...

"Korra!" He calls to his student, who is still furiously firebending. "Korra, stop!"

She does, panting, her eyes wild, hair disheveled and stained with smoke. She is to worked up to even attempt airbending now. He has to calm her down.

"Korra," He says, "Waterbend."

She cocks her head, face already twisting into a characteristic scowl. "What?"

He motions towards the water surronding their island. "Waterbend."

"but-"

His raised eyebrow stops her question.

She closes her eyes, and takes a deep, long breath.

And then she began to dance. She flows and spins, her body rocking from side to side, the water moving harshly at first as she calls it from it's source, whipping it around and around her head(she is still angry) but then it gradually begins to slow.

As she calms, the water ripples and flows about her body peacefully, mesmerizing. It is a part of her, an extension of her arms, and it is soothing in a way her wild fire bending is not.

He watches her, for awhile, and begins to see the airbender in the young Avatar. Her eyes are closed, her face smooth, relaxed and calm, her body flowing through the motions effortlessly, feet sliding and pivoting and turning against the ground without making a sound.

He lets her bend until she decides to stop herself, allowing the water to splash back down on the ground. When she opens her eyes and faces him, she is calm, at peace. It is almost as if she's a different person. A different person looking at him with those bright eyes. A calmer, gentler girl.

"What was the point of that?" She asks, but not in a rough, annoyed tone. Her voice is genuinely curious.

He stands, and walks over to her. "Korra, do you feel free when you waterbend?"

She nods, quickly. "Of course, I-"

"Think of that freedom, of how you feel when you bend water, when you're running with Naga, and then run through that airbending exercise again."

She nods again, and closes her eyes.

And when she begins to move, he can feel the wind begin to respond, whispering and humming between her fingers, her arms, her legs. He almost wants to say something, but then thinks of Toph, and her words, _wait and listen. _

So he does. He sits and watches as Korra slowly begins to realize what's happening. She starts to smile, and as she continues to dance, and the wind obeys with more intensity, her smile transforms into a shout of laughter. She leaps into the air, the wind spinning around her, and sweeps her arm around at him.

He realizes to late what she's doing, and the wind strikes him in the face, lifting up his cloak, just as his father lifted it so many years ago. He almost says something about being calm and not silly, but then he thinks of his father,

_Airbending does come easily to you, doesn't it? Why do you think that is?_

_ Because it's so free, and so am I. _

And so he calls the wind to him, and sends some back at Korra, making her hair whip across her face.

She shrieks, spins again, laughing while the air responds, twisting around her body. He can hear it breathing freedom in her, and he sees her for who she is as a calm young girl-free and wild yet young and innocent.

And before he even thinks to stop himself, he is laughing with her.


	5. Chapter 5

Saying goodbye to Katera was the hardest parting.

It was odd that it was, now that she thought about it. Saying goodbye to her parents should have been the hardest? But although she was sad when she said goodbye to her mother and father, there was a bone-deep ache that made it hard to breathe when she said goodbye to her waterbending master.

She should have known that Katera would sneak up on her(the older woman had always been able to see right through her masks and facades) but she still jumped when Katera's voice sound behind her. "Nice night for an escape, isn't it?"

Korra turned guiltily, but Katera's voice didn't sound angry or upset. There was an amused, maternal tone to her words, and when Korra turned to face her directly, the other waterbenders eyes were warm.

"I have to," She found herself saying. "I have to find my own path as the avatar."

When Katera spoke, her tone was knowing, accepting, gentle. "I know you do,"

And when she opened her arms, Korra ran into them. She buried her face into Katera's warm, soft jacket and clung to her as if her life depended on it. Katera hugged her back, and, Korra was sure she wasn't imagining it, a tear slipped down her cheek.

It was so hard to pull away, but she had too. She pushed away from her master and sniffed, hard. She had never needed to worry about feeling strong around Katera. "Goodbye, Katera." The words were bitter on her tongue.

Katera smiled. "Goodbye Korra."

Spinning on her heel, Korra swung onto Naga's back and urged her to run, clenching her eyes shut against the wind that tore at her hair and burned her eyes.

"Bye, Katera," She whispered, and she didn't care that her voice sounded like a young, frightened child's.

She had felt a connection with Katera, the first time she had looked at her, and she knew why now. But saying goodbye had been one of the hardest things she had ever had too do. Her soul, her spirit, which would never be completely her own, ached with the pained cries of a thousand voices, and she didn't think the tears that streaked her face were because of the wind.

Because Aang was saying goodbye to his love all over again.


	6. Chapter 6

**I am soo sorry about the spelling mistakes in the last chapter! to make up for it, here's a little fluffy Mako/Korra one-shot! Please remember to send me prompts. Anything will do. One word prompts, a sentence, dialogue, ANYTHING. I can't promise to do all the prompts right away, but I'll get to them :) I promise. **

She wrapped her arms around her legs and glanced shyly at him out of the corner of her eye. "Can I ask you a question?"

Mako shrugged in his usual brisk manner, but she could tell he was nervous about what she would ask him. "What do you want to know?"

She bit her lip to hide her smile. Poor Mako. So brittle and cold. If only he knew that she could see the fire in him, in those golden eyes. "How many girls have you dated just because your famous?"

He spun around to face her. "WHAT?"

And the expression on his face was just so funny that she couldn't help but burst out laughing.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you to Jokermask18 for the prompt, "Korra meets other female Avatars" I hope my take on your suggestion is okay. :) please leave your thoughts in a review!**

Korra has been told her whole life that she is not like Aang.

She's sure that people haven't meant for her to take it as an insult, but whenever anyone saw her ferocity, many times they would shake their heads. "How was Avatar Aang reincarnated into _this _girl?"

As much as she wants to be her own person, as much as she wants _not _to be like Aang, she can't help but feel injured by their words. Aang had left behind an incredible legacy, and somehow, she was supposed to live up to it. How? She was far from spiritual, she didn't know the first thing about how to keep peace among warring people unless you counted shouting(which was hardly becoming of the _Avatar_) she hadn't even entered the Avatar State yet!

No one really seemed to notice her feelings about failure, or if they did, they didn't comment on it. Tenzin was sympathetic, but he was too busy worrying about the coming war within Republic City and her Airbending training to sit down and have a conversation without her about how she wasn't living up to his father's legacy. And anyway, she thought that those conversations were painful for him, and she didn't like to see him upset.

Drawing her knees up to her chest, she wraps her arms around her legs and stares out over the glimmering water that surrounded Air Temple Island. She had discovered a hidden place that no one else knew about(at least no one had found her there yet) a small outcropping of rock just off the shore, where she could go and think without Meelo following her around or Ikki tugging at her skirts. She could hide here, oblivious to the world, and clear her head. At least, that was the idea. Most of the time she ended up making herself more upset. But the area was peaceful, at least.

Sighing, she leans her head back against a rock and close her eyes, letting the wind soothe and cool her hot face. She is just enough of an airbender to hear it's quiet hiss as it moved around her body, but not enough to command it to stay. She lets out a soft groan when the wind changed direction and rippled back out over the water.

"What's wrong, kid?"

She can't help but start and shoot a stream of fire from her fist as she jumps to her feet, defensive.

But it is only Lin. The metalbender smirks. "Well you are a fighter, aren't you?"

Glaring, because even though Lin and her have been getting along better, Korra still finds the Police Chief annoying, Korra says, "How did you find me here?"

"Please," The other woman rolls her eyes, and hops lightly down to join Korra on the ledge. "Tenzin and I discovered this years ago, when we were children."

"Oh." So Tenzin probably knew where she had been hiding, and not said anything. She felt a surge of gratitude towards her teacher, for letting her have her privacy.

"So, what's on your mind, Avatar?" Lin asks, managing to sound slightly concerned and sarcastic at the same time as she stresses the word, _Avatar. _

Korra spun away from her. "Nothing that concerns you."

"humph," the metalbender snorts She reaches up and tugs lightly on Korra's shirt. "You are such a teenager."

"And you are such an _old lady," _Korra shot back. She almost regrets the words after she says them, because she respects Lin more than that, but she can't take them back now.

Lin's light eyes flare brighter, but she doesn't snap back a reply, like Korra expects. Instead, she studies her, her eyes tracing over Korra's fierce expression, tense stance and mud stained clothes. "People always compare you to Aang, Korra, don't they?"

Korra tenses, and Lin laughs at her reaction. "That was rhetorical. I know they do. You shouldn't let it bother you. Honestly, I don't know why they don't compare you to Avatar Kyoshi. She was a fighter."

"I'm like her?" Korra is surprised. No one has ever mentioned the female Avatar's to her, except during her history lessons. Avatar Kyoshi had always been someone she admired, but he has never compared herself to her.

"Well," Lin stretched her legs out on the rock and tilted her head up to the sun, the light making her look years younger. "I never knew Kyoshi, but I've know Kyoshi Warriors. And you remind me of them. Fierce, and wild fighters."

Korra cocks her head as she considers. If you could go into the Spirit World, all of this would be solved. But she can't.

"Just something to think about," Lins says, and stands. "I'll leave you alone." She tosses a smirk over her shoulder as she leaves. "I'm sure you don't want an _old lady _intruding on your teenage angst."

Before Korra can think of anything to say, she's gone.

Sighing, Korra throws herself back to the ground, feeling the earth vibrate under her hands. "Avatar Kyoshi, huh?" She mutters. She's heard of her earth kingdom past life before, but she never really stopped to compare herself to the famous women.

Closing her eyes, Korra tries to breath deeply, to meditate, like Tenzin has been teaching her, but her mind is racing too much to be calm. She sticks her lip out in a pout of concentration and tries again.

Nothing.

"Ah, this is impossible!" She hisses, and kicks a rock hard enough to send it sailing halfway across the water. The vibrations from the blow run up her legs, and she feels the earth tremble.

As she smooths her hand across the ground, making the dirt ripple and change with her motions, she hears a voice. It's not like when she hears ordinary voices, this one seems to echo from inside her, all around her. It rumbles from the earth in between her fingertips, and yet it is as soft as a whisper.

_You are a fighter, young Avatar. Water tribe you may be, but there is solid rock and steel inside of you. You are like me, Korra. Because I am you. We are one spirit, Avatar. Just as it is meant to be. _

"What...who...?" Korra covers her ears and backs quickly away. All this supernatural stuff is starting to make her nervous.

The ground vibrates under her hands. _I am Avatar Kyoshi. _

Korra sucks in a breath to say something, anything, but as soon as she does the vision or voice, or whatever it was, has vanished. She is alone again.

Sighing shakily, she runs a hand across her face and leans her head back against the rock. "Good to meet you too," She mutters, but she is smiling.

Maybe she's really not like Aang after all. And maybe that's not such a bad thing.


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you to lpwriter4life, for the prompt, "write something about Korra and Aang." I hope this lives up to your expectations, and that you enjoy it. **

**let me know with a review :)  
**

Korra has only ever really met him in visions.

Odd, disjointed images that flash behind her eyes at the most unexpected times, images that bring forth so many emotions. Anger, love, fear, hate...

He always looks so calm, so strong and fierce in the visions. His gray eyes hard and angry as he whips air around and at his opponent.

And as much as she hates to admit it-it scares her.

Aang has always been hanging over her head, a legacy that she must live up too, a powerful, yet peaceful man who did so much more than she will ever be able to do.

Katara has often told her of Aang's humor, of his ability to make anyone laugh, but she doesn't see that in these visions.

Sighing, she rolls over onto her side and tries in vain to go back to sleep, but she can't. Her thoughts are too wild, to twisted and afraid to be calm enough to allow her to rest. Kicking off her covers, she slips from her bed and pads outside. Maybe a walk will clear her head.

She sees with surprise that Tenzin has had the same idea. Her Airbending Master was sitting in the middle of the training area, legs crossed, back straight, gaze fixed on Avatar Aang's memorial island.

Something about his posture tells Korra that he hasn't been able to sleep either-and that he knows she's there. Still, he doesn't turn.

Hesitantly, she walks over to him and folds down into a sitting position on his right. Still, he doesn't look at her, and the silence is begining to make her uncomfortable. She glances at him out of the corner of her eye, and finds that his face is as blank as marble. Is he upset? scared? She cannot tell. She wants to comfort him somehow, but she's never been good with words. She doesn't know what to say, so she stays silent and looks in the same direction as he. Aang's cool, stone face seems to stare at her from across the water. She shivers.

Finally, he stirs, glancing down at her. "Why aren't you in bed, Korra?" His voice is quiet, and he sounds tired.

"I couldn't sleep." She fiddles with soft fabric of her tunic, not wanting to maintain eye contact with him for long. There is something about him tonight, something that almost makes him seem like a stranger.

Tenzin sighs, and she can feel his eyes on her. "Are you...alright?"

"I'm fine," She says, still refusing to meet his gaze. "why wouldn't I be?"

"Well," He says a little wrly. "You can't sleep."

She scoffs. "Yeah. There's no nightmares or anything, it's just...Aang's bothering me."

The surprise is clear in his voice. "How?"

"I-I keep having these _visons, _these flashbacks of him, and I don't understand them. They make me angry and upset, and I think those are his emotions...but it's just _him _that scares me."

"How does my father frighten you?" Tenzin's tone is neutral, and she can tell that he has gone back to staring at Aang's statue, even though she can't see his face or expression.

"He's so...not me, I suppose. He's powerful and calm and _angry. _At least during the visions."

"My father could be angry at times," Tenzin says, "but for the most part, he was the most happy, the most playful man I have ever known. He never once raised his voice at me...he wanted, more than anything, I think, to protect his family and see his children happy. He only wanted to make people laugh." His voice is soft, and emotional. He clears his throat. "Those visions you are experiancing Korra, they are most likely at the most stressful and dangerous time of his life. Do not judge him by what you see there."

Finally, she turns to look at him. He is still not looking at her, and she can see the faint shine of a tear on his cheek, before he wipes it away.

"I just wish I could speak with him..." She whispers.

"You will, someday," Tenzin reassures her, and stands. "Goodnight, Korra."

She stares out over the water at Aang's statue and does not respond as he walks away. When she closes her eyes, another vision creeps into the forefront of her thoughts:

_"Very good Tenzin!" Aang calls. "Be the leaf!"_

_ A young boy of perhaps six twirls to a halt in front of Aang and grins up at him. "I did it!"_

_ "Yes," Aang says, and picks him up. "You did, my little Airbender." _

_ Tenzin sneezes, blowing himself backward out of Aang's arms. They laugh. _

_ "Now," Aang says, giving his son a push. "Again. Flow with the movement of the gates..." _

With gasp, Korra opens her eyes. Her vision is blurred, and for a moment she wonders why, until she realizes she is crying. Laughing a little, she wipes her hand across her face until she can see again.

She may have only met Aang in visions, but she can see now that she will be able to meet him in another way.

She can speak to Aang through his son. They are alike, she realizes. Tenzin might not be as funny as Aang apparently was, but she can see her past life in her teacher. See it in the way he sits and looks at her, in his teachings, everything.

She hasn't met Aang in the Spirit World, not yet, but she meets him everyday when she looks at his son.


	9. Chapter 9

**Set a few days after Aang's death, and before Tenzin knows Korra. **

They are worried for him. He sees it in their eyes.

But he has always been calm, cool, and collected. He can't falter now. His father wanted want that, would he?

But all he wants to do is _cry. _To curl up into a ball and hide from the world, to hold his brother and sister tight and sob into their shoulders while they sooth him. Be he can't. He has to be strong, because he's the only one who can.

He moves numbly, drifting through the days as if he were a ghost, comforting his mother, his sister, his brother...the countless citizens of Republic City who knew and loved his father...

Pema is worried for him, she wants to comfort him, but with a child on the way, he doesn't dare burden her with his own troubles. No matter how justifiable his grief is.

He stays strong until he hears Lin's voice, until she is running towards him, her own eyes red with tears, mouth set in a hard line. She has grown so much since they had first met as children, and he is struck for the first time how old, how vulnerable she looks.

She stops when she sees his expression, stops and stares at him. The air is tense around her, hissing and clicking through the fabric of her clothes, her hair. She looks like she wants to pull him into her arms, but restrains herself. "Tenzin," She whispers.

He forces a smile. _Strong, _he reminds himself. "Hello Lin,"

"How-how are you?" She asks, glancing away so he doesn't see that her eyes are filling with tears again. She never did want to cry in front of him.

His throat feels tight, and he swallows hard. "I'm doing fine."

"Oh, cut the garbage Tenzin," She snaps, looking up and glaring at him. In her voice their is an echo of another: _can it, Twinkletoes. _

He swallows again. "Lin, I-"

And then she is in his arms. He doesn't know quite how it happens, but suddenly her arms are around him, holding him, and she is crying into his chest. There is no anger or frustration in this moment, only comfort. For a blessed instant, she is simply his best friend again.

He buries his head against her shoulder, and for the first time since his father's death, he lets the tears fall.


	10. Chapter 10

**thank you Jokermask18 for the prompt: Korra and Meelo-belching contest**

"Korra! Hey, Korra!"

Korra, who had been practicing her latest Airbending form, turned with a scowl. "What, Meelo?"

The youngest of Tenzin's children grinned toothily up at her. "Korra, watch this!" he closed his eyes as if in deep concentration, his mouth working. Just when Korra was about to snap that nothing was happening, he opened his mouth and let out a grotesque, loud, belch.

Korra flinched back. "ew, Meelo, gross!"

He clapped his hands together, spinning in a circle so a small tornado exploded around his feet. "I bet I can burb more than you!"

"Oh you think so, do you?" it was hard not to find the boy's antics adorable, and she was always ready for a challenge.

"Yeah!" Seeing that she might accept his implied request, He spins in another circle, this time actually lifting off the ground. "Come on, Korra, I bet you can't!"

She grinned at him, and forced a louder sound to come from her, opening her mouth as wide as it could go.

"No fair!" He shrieked, and, still suspended in the air, he shook his fists at her and burbed again, only his came out as an indignant little squeak.

She put her hands on her hips. "I think I win this one, kid."

"Korra!" Tenzin called, striding over to her. "What are you-"

"Korra's a really good belcher Daddy!" Mello cried and zooms over to his father, yanking on his robs. "She showed me how to make it really loud! see?"

Tenzin groaned, and Korra couldn't help the laugh that escaped her, though she attempted to stifle it with her hand.

"What have you done?" Tenzin hissed.

Korra grinned. "Just passing on my Avatar wisdom.


	11. Chapter 11

**Someone gave me the prompt of Korra going into the Avatar state, but I looked back through the reviews and couldn't find it. I'm so sorry. Whoever sent me that prompt, here is your chapter :)**

Her anger is so strong, burning through her like fire. Tears make her vision blurry, until she can no longer see her surroundings, until her chest is squeezing with the effort of not sobbing, because sue has to be strong now, she has to keep fighting-

And then she sees the electricity arching towards her, crackling like fire and lightning never can-

And she screams. A horrible, earsplitting screech that is so loud it makes the people surrounding her cover their ears. But she can't hear it. Fire is burning in the pit of her stomach, earth is trembling under her feet, air is swirling all around her head, and water is circling her palms. She has never felt this alive, or this furious.

Raw, unchecked power flows through her, tingling across her entire body. She clenches her eyes shut-

The energy has reached her head. It flares up, burning hot. And in her mind, comes the shouts and cries of a thousand voices. Her eyes snap open, and guided by an instinct and power she never knew she had, her body moves, flows, and the elements respond.

Fire arcs from her feet with a quick of her heels, earth slips and stabs at her command, water explodes from it's cage in her palms, and air carries her upward, higher than she ever thought possible.

Distantly, she hears people screaming, pointing, pleading. But she doesn't _care. _

Her emotions are so strong that she can't bear to keep them in-she shouts and kicks and _bends. _Power burns through her whole body, and the voices scream louder in her head, but strangely, she doesn't mind them. Because they're her voice really. They share her rage and pain and frustration, and-

Slowly, slowly, the power leaves her, tingling back from her head, along her arms, until finally, it reaches her toes. She sinks back to the ground, water falling back to it's source with a faint splash, the fire flickering out existence, the earth ceasing it's wild rippling.

She collapses against the ground, feeling lightheaded and disoriented.

When she blinks her eyes open, and sees Tenzin's concerned expression, the emotions come back, not as strong as before. They do not burn through her with wild power. They ache and tear at her until she wants burry herself in the ground and never come out.

"Korra?" He says softly. "Can you hear me?"

She bursts into tears and buries her head in her arms, not even caring that the whole city may be watching. She barely feels Tenzin's arms coming around her before blackness washes over her vision, and she slips into unconsciousness.


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you to icedragonshiki for the amazing prompt. **

Receiving his airbending tattoos hurt, but not in the way he expected.

It was the feeling of the wind, skimming along his arm, burning his skin with the harshness of it's slice. He whispered to it, clenched his hands into fists as the marks finished tracing their paths across his skin, his chi flowing simultaneously with the arrows, the air cooling him as it hissed around his body. And then there was nothing.

The wind ceased it's murmuring, the marks no longer burned, and he sat absuloutly still, hardly daring to breathe.

And then he felt a hand covering his, and he opened his eyes to see his father's face, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth, his grey eyes bright with emotion. "Welcome," Aang said, and dipped his head in a small bow. "Master Tenzin."

The words sounded so _wrong _coming from his father, who had been an airbending master since he was twelve, who was the avatar, the boy who stopped the hundred year war. But still, Tenzin felt a thrill of joy at the title.

He reached up and ran a hand over his head, as if he could feel the blue arrow there. His father smiled at him. "They are there," He said, and took hold of Tenzin's hands, interlacing their fingers and leading him over to the water so he could see his reflection. "Look."

Tenzin stared.

He had seen the airbending marks on his father before, of course, had admired them. But seeing them on himself was a different matter entirely. The arrows that traced his arms, legs, hands, feet and head were a brilliant blue, standing out against his pale skin, and even without touching them, he could feel the wind, feel the _power _in them. Feel the power inside himself.

He could sense his father, watching him with quiet amusement, and turned to face him. "What do you think?"

Aang grinned at him, and snapped his glider open. "I think we should fly, Master Tenzin."

Laughing, Tenzin leaped into the air, calling the wind to him, twirling his staff above his head until the glider spun out of it, and then pushing the wind behind him until he was soaring. He heard the distant echo his father's laughter, but the song of the wind in his ears blocked out all other sounds.

And for the first time, he could truly hear what freedom sounded like.

And he loved it.


	13. Chapter 13

**thank you to icedragonshiki for the prompt: "Tenzin first meets Korra" I changed it a little(Korra's age is 5 not 12) and I really hope you don't mind...**

He only comes to see her because his mother insists.

He has been avoiding visiting the Southern Water tribe over the past five years, mostly because he doesn't want to run into the new Avatar. He's afraid of what he will feel, what he will see in this girl. He doesn't want to judge her, but he's not sure if he can help himself.

But his mother was able to move past that feeling, move past it and teach the girl waterbending. So shouldn't he be able to do the same?

Oogi touches down with an indignant huff-he has never liked the snow-and Tenzin slips from his back with commenting on it. The South Pole is as serene as always, with it's frozen tundras and no building, quite a change from life in Republic City. For an instant he lets the harsh winds of the Pole wash over him, and has almost relaxed when-

"You're, Tenzin, aren't you?"

He looks down to see a small girl, her hair obviously meant to be in pigtails, but tangled up into some bizarre not by the wind, her blue eyes huge in her face, her expression one of absolute delight.

There is something about her, something about the way she's watching him, with those eyes, eyes oddly wise for a little girl like her. He shakes himself. "Yes," He says, and bends down to her level. "I'm Tenzin. And who are you?"

She grins at him, and the odd look in her eyes vanishes, replaced with the gleam of a young child. "I'm Korra!"

"Korra!" The voice is familiar, and Tenzin looks up.

Katara is striding towards them, her hair in it's customary loopies, her lined face warm with an affectionate smile. "Korra, don't you have training to do?"

The young girl rolls her eyes, but looks more than happy to oblige. "Yes, Sifu Katara." She bows a little clumsily, shoots another grin over her shoulder at Tenzin, and runs off through the snow, bending it around her like waves as she went. Tenzin could hear her laughing.

His mothers walks up to him and squeezes his shoulder, gently. She doesn't say anything. She doesn't have too.

He clears his throat, for some reason it feels tight. "That's her?"

Katara nods. "That's her."

Tenzin looks out across the frozen plain at the little girl, making a jump rope out of water instead of practicing the form like she's supposed too, and shakes his head. "Are you sure?" He can't help but ask.

His mother laughs at him, and just the sound of it makes him want to smile. He hasn't heard her laugh like that in five years. "We are positive. She has heart."

He looks back at the little girl, watches her spin and flow with the water, and remembers when he was little and would wake to his parents waterbending in the moonlight. But then Korra slips and falls in a pile of snow, emerging with a huge grin on her face, her blue eyes almost unnaturally bright. "Did you see that?" She shouts.

And Tenzin cannot help but chuckle. "Welcome back, father," he says soft enough so only his mother could hear him. "Welcome back."


	14. Chapter 14

**Thank you to Jokermask18 for the prompt: Korra meets Bumi II**

It was hard to believe Bumi and Tenzin were brothers.

Bumi, the only non-bender in the family, actually reminded her a lot of Meelo. He was funny, impulsive, wild and mischievous, always ready for the next trick, the next game. He was the complete opposite of his brother, and it was nothing short of hilarious to watch them interact. Although it was clear that Tenzin loved his older brother, there was a weary exasperation there, and Korra cherished every moment Bumi visited.

There was another aspect to the man she liked. He never judged her. He never told her what to do, never told her she needed to train more, or be more spirtual. He never expected, or even wanted anything more from her than what she had right at that very moment.

And so one day, just because it felt right, she gripped his arm, and said, softly, "Bumi?"

He looked down at her, that silly grin that so reminded her of Meelo on his face. "What's up, kid?"

Driven by some instinct she didn't understand, she wrapped her arms around him and whispered, "You're a mad genius."


	15. Chapter 15

**Please continue to send me prompts, guys, they really do help a lot!**

**Leave your thoughts/comments in a review :)  
**

He can tell she is confused.

She watches him with an annoyed look in her bright eyes, her lip sticking slightly out in a pout. It appears that she wants to burst out with a sarcastic or angry remark, but since it is him, and she knows better, she keeps silent.

Biting back a smile, Tenzin waves a hand. On top of this ledge is where the best air currents are. Where the thermals and the warm and cold winds intersect. Can you feel the wind moving around you?"

She closes her eyes and cocks her head, spreading her hands out in a gesture that he suspects she is not even aware of, and nods slowly. "Yeah...I think so."

"Good. Listen to it for a few minutes."

Her eyebrows crease slightly, but that is the only sign of her impatience. She has been particularly on edge today, he notes. Hopefully the exercise he has planned with ease some of her tension.

Finally she opens her eyes, annoyed. "Tenzin, what-"

In response to her unasked question, he snaps his glider open.

Her eyes widen. "No way..."

Extending the glider, holds it suspended over his head, feeling it shiver a little in his hands as the wind whispers through it. "Come here, Korra."

"But...I'm too heavy! I'll-"

"This glider held my father and I many times. It will hold you."

She still looks skeptical, but approaches him. "What do I do?"

Reaching out, he guides her hands over his, showing her where to place them on the wood. "Hold on."

Her fingers tighten over his fists, and her grip is so strong, so _familiar _that Tenzin almost stops. "Are you ready?" He asks.

She takes a deep breath. "Let's do this."

"Be the leaf," He reminds her, and hears her grumble under her breath at the comment.

They leap off the ledge to the sound of the wind singing in his ears, and the high shriek of Korra's laughter.


	16. Chapter 16

**Thank you Jokermask18 for the prompt: Meelo has a crush on Korra and keeps trying to separate her and Mako. **

**Please keep sending me prompts-I really appreciate the inspiration!  
**

**Oh, and does anyone have any thoughts/theories on what's going to happen in the next episode?  
**

Meelo had always been the most obnoxious out of Tenzin's children, but never had he annoyed Korra to this extreme.

He followed her around everywhere-tugging at her shirt, keeping his eyes fixed on her at dinner, whizzing past her on his glider when she took Naga for a run-she couldn't get rid of the little airbender.

It only grew worse when Mako, Bolin and Asami came to live with them.

Being close to Mako was embarrassing and awkward enough, but having little Meelo following them around set Korra's teeth on edge.

They were walking together now, the two of them, Korra and Mako, discussing firebending tactics. In a seemingly unconscious gesture, Mako reached for her hand.

A current of air slapped in between their palms, preventing their fingers from touching.

Startled, Korra and Mako spun around, but their appeared to be no one in sight. Korra knew better though. Meelo was only hiding himself because he didn't want Mako to see him.

"Strange," Mako said, turning and giving her a smirk. "I'd say you have a little protector on this island."

She grinned back at him. "I guess I do."

"I am Korra's protector!" Meelo seemed unable to contain himself a second longer. The little airbender dropped from the skies and landed in a defensive stance, his eyes round, face surprisingly serious. "You can't touch her, fireboy!"

Mako looked so shocked that Korra almost burst out laughing. He leaned away from Meelo, and said in a forcibly calm voice, "You know I would never hurt Korra, Meelo. She's my friend."

The word friend hurt.

Meelo seemed unconvinced. He twirled in a circle, slapping more air between Korra and Mako, causing the firebender to stumble back. "Hey, easy kid. I'm not going to hurt Korra. I promise."

Seeing that Meelo was only going to continue causing her friend grief, Korra waved Mako away. "Go on, Mako. I'll talk with Meelo."

Catching her meaning, Mako nodded. As he walked away, she heard him call out, "hey bolin! You ready for a little training?"

Sighing, Korra knelt down in front of Meelo, who was avoiding her eyes. "Meelo," She said, doing her best to make her voice sound gentle, but firm at the same time-like Pema's, "Meelo, do you want to tell me what's going on?"

The little boy sighed. "You're always with that firebender Korra. Always." His voice was not the loud, hyper tone she had come to expect from him. It was more quiet, more sad, and it unnerved her.

"Mako is my friend," She said as softly as he had spoken. "I like being with him."

"But I'm your friend too, right?" He was still not looking at her.

"Of course you are, Meelo. Is that what this is about? Are you jealous?"

Finally, finally he whirled around to face her, puffs of air flying from his heels. "Korra I think you're really pretty," He said in a rush. "And beautiful. I love how you bend and how you laugh and everything. I love how strong you are." He had clearly rehearsed this, but nerves were making the words trip over themselves.

He threw his arms around her in a tight hug. "Korra, I love you!" He cried into her chest.

Laughing, Korra wrapped her arms around the little boy and held him against her, resting her chin against his smooth head. "Love you too, kiddo. And thanks for trying to protect me. But you know what?"

He tilted his chin up to look at her, that characteristically silly grin lighting up his whole face. "What?"

"You'll be the first person I call if Mako tries to do any funny stuff. But until then, I think I can handle Mr. Cool Guy. What do you think?"

"I think you can do anything, Korra!"

She laughed again, and set him back down on the ground. "Thanks Meelo. Now why don't you go see what Mako's up too? Make sure he's not doing anything too crazy?"'

"Yeah!" The little airbender let out a shriek and grabbed his glider running off in the direction Mako had gone. "I'm coming to get you, fireboy!"

Grinning, Korra jogged after him, just in case she needed to rescue Mako from the boy's clutches, or if her friend needed to get his butt kicked in a duel.


	17. Chapter 17

**Thank you to ****Avatar Sangmu****for the prompt: Wise old Zuko**

The fire flowed from her open palms as she stepped through the motions, tingling from her fingertips with a pleasant warmth, flaring with more heat at each exhale of breath. Tucking her knees to her chest, she exploded into the air, sending fire roaring and scorching along her arms, flames tickling the edge of her tongue as she let out a wild roar, releasing her frustration.

She knew that Tenzin disapproved of her violent firebending practice, but he had always allowed her space to express herself, and right now she was so frustrated, no calm, boring hours spent meditating were going to help her relax. She needed to feel in control, to feel that fire scorching through her body, to feel it dance across her fingertips.

Landing lightly on the balls of her feet, she struck out in a solid punch, letting out one more burst of fire before she stood eract, slowing her breathing and allowing the adrenaline to be the only fire in her.

"Nice form, kid."

She spun around, eyes widening when she saw who had spoken.

Firelord Zuko stood behind her, arms crossed in front of his chest. His face was as lined as Katara's, but where her face seemed motherly and warm, there was something about Zuko that set Korra on edge. The hideous scar was as red and brilliant as ever, giving his face a shadowed, haunted appearance.

But when she met his eyes, she saw that they were warm.

"Um," She said, not quite sure what to say. "Thank you?"

He laughed, throwing back his head, and the sound seemed to give him a youthful appearance, as if the joy was pulling the years off of him. "You're angry, though, aren't you?"

"I-"

He waved a hand, stopping her explanation. "It's alright. My firebending was fueled by anger for many years as well." He took a few steps closer to her, until they were close enough to touch.

"You're from the Southern Water tribe?" His golden eyes raked her frame, taking in her tense stance. "Huh. You seem more like a firebender to me."

"I'm frustrated," She said. "Firebending helps with that."

He nodded, his lip twisting into an odd half-smile. "I know what you mean." He sat down, his back perfectly straight, and patted the ground next to him. "So what's on your mind, kid?"

Sighing, she sat next to him. She would feel ridiculous voicing her worries to anyone of importance, especially Zuko. He had been through so much by the time he was her age, compared to his, her life had been easy. Compared to _Aang's, _her life had been easy. She had nothing to complain about.

So why did she feel so alone? So...frusterated?

"Come on," He gave her a light bump with his shoulder; his open friendliness surprised her. "You can tell me."

"I'm the Avatar," She said quietly, without looking at him. "I'm supposed to be powerful. I'm supposed to bring balance and peace to the world, but I can't even stop one madman from destroying a single city. I can't airbend. I'm not the least bit spiritual. I'm angry, I'm wild, I can't sort out a problem without getting into a fight. I act without thinking. I'm always getting into trouble. I'm the worst Avatar ever. I can't do anything right. I have this legacy I have to live up too, to fulfill, I have to keep the honor of being the Avatar, I can't let the city down, I can't let the world down. But I'm going too." She bit her lip, hard, and looked at the ground, not wanting to see his expression. Was he annoyed? Annoyed at her petty worried?

He did not speak for a long time, but when he did, the words came slowly, softly. "I knew a boy like you once. A boy set on regaining his honor. He fueled his bending with anger and frustration, set on a single destiny that consumed his life for years. He was to blind to realize what life was truly about. He was to furious to see the true beauty of bending. To naive to understand that power isn't all about how fierce you are."

She could sense that he was looking at her, but she still did not meet his eyes.

"He acted without thinking. He was wild. He was always getting into trouble. He felt he had a legacy to live up too, a father he had to please. He pushed help away when it was offered, and he didn't have any friends until he realized..." His voice trailed off, and she snuck a glance at him from the corner of her eye.

"Realized what?" She asked softly.

He blew a breath of fire into his palm and looked at it for a long while, the flames reflected in his eyes. "He realized that life isn't about desinty. Life isn't about pleasing everyone. It doesn't matter who came before you or how great they were. The only thing that matters is what you decide to do in the face of danger, or what you decided to believe, no matter what other people say." He passed the ball of fire into her palms, and it spread heat across her arms, sending tingling ripples of chi through her whole body. "He realized that life is about being who you want to be, not who anyone else says you have to be."

She looked at the fire in her hands, feeling tears pricking behind her eyes and not knowing why. "He was wise," She said softly.

Zuko let out a bark of laughter. "He had a lot of help from his friends and his uncle." He reached out and touched her arm, gently. "I know that everyone compares you to Aang, and that everyone always talks about how powerful and amazing he was, but honestly," He smiled. "Aang was just a kid. He wasn't always right. He wasn't always strong and wise and powerful. He didn't always listen to directions. Aang was just Aang. You think of him as being so strong and amazing, and he was all those things, but that kid was just like you, Korra. He was scared and sad, and he felt alone a lot. He had trouble with his bending sometimes, he was to reluctant to make decisions, and he was always frustrated with me." His voice had taken on a nostalgic note, and it sent shivers down her spine.

"You want my advice, kid? Don't worry about your destiny or who you're supposed to be. Your life is meant to be lived and enjoyed. Honor and destiny and fate just get in the way of all that."

"It's kind of hard to escape all that though," She said quietly.

"Yeah, that's kind of tough, but you know what?" He stood, extending a hand towards her.

She took it, allowing him to help her up. "What?"

"That's what makes life interesting." He smiled, a full grin that stretched across his whole face. "You're going to be as great as Aang one day, Korra. People will remember you."

With a flick of his wrist, the fire in her open palm slid from her hand into his, flaring brighter as he breathed out.

"I'm not so sure of that," She said.

He rolled his eyes in a surprisingly childish gesture. "You really are more like Aang than you realize. That kid was so unsure of himself sometimes." He blew the fire at her in a wide gust, and she was forced to duck.

"Live a little, Avatar," Zuko called to her. "And then we'll see just how amazing you can be. Just remember to have some fun once in awhile."

Before she could think of anything to say to that, he was gone, leaving only a small stream of fire in his wake.


	18. Chapter 18

**Thank you to Alex Leep for the prompt: Air Temple Family Dinner**

She came to dinner late that night.

If she was honest with herself, she arrived late because she didn't want to face them. She didn't want them to know that she'd been crying like a little lost child. That she missed her parents and a simple life where everything _made sense. _That she wanted to go home.

But she was hungry, and she knew that facing a motherly Pema would push her over the edge and then she'd never be able to stop crying, so she wiped her eyes and went to dinner.

Tenzin twisted around in his seat and offered her a smile when she came in. "Korra, how nice of you to join us."

She nodded to him, and took her place at the other head of the table, bowing her head for their customary blessing before the meal.

But then Meelo is sneezing and talking, tugging at her sleeves, Jinora and Ikki are arguing, Pema is rolling her eyes, and suddenly everything erupts into a culmination of laughter.

At first, Korra didn't know how to react to the situation. She sat and stared, blushing a little as Meelo planted a wet, sloppy kiss on her cheek.

Tenzin met her eyes, and raised an eyebrow.

And it didn't matter that she had cried for hours that afternoon out of homesickness, or that she couldn't airbend, didn't know what to do about Amon, and hadn't entered the spirit world yet. It didn't matter that her parents weren't their to comfort her.

This was her family now. For better or for worse.

And she smiled through the tears.


	19. Chapter 19

**Thank you to Alex Leep for the prompt: Korra and Tenzin discuss having to live up to Aang**

She had always lived in his shadow.

For as long as she could remember, people had been comparing her to Aang. More often then nought, it was with scorn or disbelief. _How was Avatar Aang reincarnated into THIS girl? _She had heard those words, those painful words hundreds of times, but the sting never seemed to leave them.

How could she be herself, how could she be _Korra, _when everyone else wanted her to be someone she was not, wanted her to be better?

How could she be Korra when everyone wanted her to be _Aang?_

**OoO**

People have always compared him to his father.

Not just in looks, but in his actions. If he ever made a mistake, it was always: _Your father wasn't afraid to stand up to this. _Those words ached, like burning pits of fire in his stomach, closing his throat and preventing him from coming up with a strong response. Partially because he knew the words were true, but also because he asked himself, _what if you aren't who he wants you to be? _

Those words kept him up late at night, when the winds whispered softly in the dark and the house was asleep. And he wondered, _will anyone see me for who I am, and not who my father was? _

**OoO**

In a way, she knew that Tenzin understood.

She saw it in little gestures-a quiet sigh whenever anyone would mention his father, a twitch of his mouth during council meetings when Aang's name was brought into the argument, his indigent spluttering as he was accused of not facing reality as his father had-and she wanted to say something to comfort him, but couldn't find the words.

She could never find the right words to express what she wanted. Maybe that was why she was tangled up in the whole mess with Amon and the leaders of Republic City. Because she couldn't speak for herself. Because she was young and niave and stubborn.

Because she wasn't Aang.

**OoO**

He knew it was hard for people _not _to think of Aang when they saw him.

His whole life he had heard whispers of, _that's the Avatar's son..._sometimes the thought was followed by a positive comment, but nowadays, it was negative, annoyed.

He saw that Korra understood. She showed him in small ways-a sympathetic glance, listening in training, lingering almost protectively behind him when they faced Tarlock-and he wanted to say something, maybe "thank you" maybe that he was sorry she had to go through the same thing.

But the words don't come at the right time. His father would know what to say.

But Tenzin wasn't Aang.

**OoO**

Sitting with her knees pressed against her chest, she turned to look at him. "They want me to be someone I'm not, Tenzin."

She saw his lips twitch down like they always did whenever his father was mentioned in relation to him, and knew that he was remembering his own struggles with the topic. "I know, Korra."

She rested her chin on top of her legs and stared out over the water. "They won't see me for who I am. I'm not Aang. I'm Korra. And they only see that and hate it. I don't know what I'm doing wrong, or what's going on, but..." She couldn't find the words anymore, and she allowed her voice to trail off, biting her lip.

His hand covered hers, squeezing her fingers gently. "I understand," He said.

And when she turned to look at him and saw his expression, she knew that no truer words had ever been spoken.


	20. Chapter 20

**Thank you to Alex Leep for the prompt: Korra makes snow for the Airbending kids**

**I won't be able to tomorrows episode, but someone has to tell me what happens! :)  
**

"I want it to snow!"

The complaint echoed with unnatural loudness throughout Air Temple Island, magnified by airbending, and Korra winced.

Meelo had been whining about the lack of snow for at least a week, and his complaints were starting to annoy her, even if she wanted it to be winter just as much as him.

Rain had been beating the ground for hours, and she sat staring moodily out the rain streaked windows, chin resting on her hand. She thought of her childhood in the Southern Water Tribe, of snowstorms and igloos and penguin sledding, and it made her chest ache with homesickness.

"Koorrra!" Meelo zoomed over to her. "I want it to snow! Can you make us ice to play in?"

Something clicked inside her head. If she could make ice, then...

Standing she slipped outside and closed her eyes, raising her arms. She took a deep, settling breath and flexed her fingers, calling the water around her, forcing it to halt it's wild descent, to freeze where she wanted it.

Curling her fingers in slightly, she began to slowly freeze the hovering water droplets until they became slush.

She could sense the other children hovering behind her now, gasping in admiration and disbelief.

Grinning, she opened her eyes and lowered her arms, letting the frozen water fall gently to the ground. "There's your snow kid," She said.

"yay!" Meelo let out a wild shriek, and raced out into the falling slush, spinning in circles, calling to his sisters.

Korra crossed her arms over her chest and laughed. She would never tell anyone that she was enjoying the snow just as much as the kids.


	21. Chapter 21

**Thank you to- A Human Being, for the prompt: "Korra, what in the spirit's names do you think you're doing in here?"**

Sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest, she stared into the darkness surronding her, and tried to think of nothing. It was a technique Tenzin had often tried teaching her during their meditations, and she focused on it now, hoping it would clear her mind from the nightmares, the visions of Aang and Toph and Sokka that were keeping her awake.

"Korra, what in the spirits' names do you think you're doing in here?"

She knew before she looked up who it was.

Mako was standing over her, his hair rumpled, gold eyes wide, and dark with sleep, the fire in his open palm illuminating the space in which she was with a warm glow.

She forced herself to smile at him and stood. "Your closet is the darkest place in the house. I needed to think."

Before she could do anything more embarrassing, she brushed past him and headed outside. Maybe some night air would help clear her head of the frightening dreams, and the image of Mako's smiling face that was never to far from her thoughts.


	22. Chapter 22

**Thank you to: Fnuggie for the prompt- Jinora and Mako**

"You know," Came a voice from somewhere above his head, "Korra really likes you."

He had not lived at the Air Temple long enough to be able to tell the two girls apart, but he recognized the voice of the older one. He craned his neck back, but I'll he could see where clouds.

"She does, does she?"

"Oh, don't be stupid." Now the voice came from in front of him, annoyed. "She kissed you didn't she?"

His cheeks flamed. Did Korra tell these children everything? "Um..."

"You're blushing, Cool Guy."

He blinked, and she was in front of him, arms crossed over her chest, head cocked, the beginning's of a grin on her face.

He put a hand to his face and shook his head, as if the action would relieve the heat in his cheeks. "Only Korra gets to call me that," He muttered.

She arched an eyebrow. "Oh..."

"That doesn't mean anything," He said, a little too quickly.

"Sure it doesn't." The airbender took a step closer to him, tilting her head up to meet his eyes. The shadows made her look older. "You like her. Admit it."

"I-"

"In stories, the guy always asks the girl first," She said, as if this would somehow impact his decision.

"This isn't a story. This is real life."

"Well, where do you think writer's get their inspiration?"

He shook his head. "You don't understand."

"I understand that you can't take your eyes off her," The girl shot back, half spinning in the air to leap in front of him. "Maybe you should talk to her sometime. The only time you two express your love is when you're rescuing her or fighting or something. Talk to the girl. See what happens."

Before he could come up with any words to reply, she had leaped into the air, and vanished, leaving him with embarrassing thoughts, and a fear that twisted his stomach into nervous knots;


	23. Chapter 23

**thank you to-Darkwood Princess for the prompt: Bolin talks to Korra about his parents**

They were sitting on the ledge overlooking the water, just the two of them, feeling the earth vibrating under their fingertips, listening to the hum and song of the world as night sent the sky an inky black. There is no love between them, nothing complicated or confusing like there is with Mako, and she cherishes the comfort of his closeness.

Their conversation has trailed off over the past view minutes, and she notices how his fingers make small circles in the dirt, sketching pictures and words almost absently as he stares out over the water. She makes out three letters: MOM

"You really miss them, don't you?" She asks, softy.

He jumps, blushing, and runs a hand through his black hair, not meeting her eyes. "Yeah...I guess I do."

Bolin has always looked innocent to her, like an overeager puppy, but now his eyes are wide and sad, and she wants to comfort him.

"Would it help to talk about it?"

He sighs. "I was really young. I only remember flashes, bits and pieces of them. The smell of mom's hair and cooking, dad's laugh...honestly, the only thing I can picture when I think of my parent's is Mako's face. He's been more than just a brother to me. He's been...almost like my father in a way too."

She nods. She's seen this, that bond that he is describing, at work between the two of them. In a way she's almost envious. Her parents, although they loved her very much, could never follow her into danger or protect her the way Mako protects his little brother.

Since she can't think of anything to say, she reaches for his hand, and grips it tightly. He squeezes back, and the simple pressure of his fingers against hers, says, _Thank you for listening, _in a way no words ever could.


	24. Chapter 24

**Thank you to-CaskettFanGirl for the prompt: Lin and Korra talk about Toph**

**Also, if any of you guys have seen the Avengers, I'm looking for prompts about thor and Loki, their brotherly relationship and hate and stuff, as well as Team-bonding moments. as always, one word prompts, bits of dialogue, anything will do!  
**

**and we've reached over 100 reviews! WOW! you guys are AMAZING! I wish I could thank each and every one of you personally. You guys are incredible. I am trying to write all the prompts you guys send me, but if i skip one or forget one, PM and let me know. As always, leave thoughts/prompts in a review :)  
**

The earth is solid and strong underneath her bare feet as she moves through the airbending form motions. For some reason, she is particularly focused on the ground beneath her feet and not the air swirling above her head today, and she knows even as she spins and turns, that she is doing the form wrong. Sighing, she gives up, sitting down on the ground, hard. It vibrates under her hands.

She is so frustrated by this block with airbending. Fire and Earth came to her as easily as breathing, the power and strength she needed to master them was second nature to her. She had been born to bend water, and the flowing motions she needed for it were similar to airbending, but waterbending required just as much power as fire.

"You look annoyed, Avatar."

She knows without turning who it is. She can't help but scowl. "Of course I am."

Lin sat down beside her. Korra can feel the ex-police chief's gaze on her. "You haven't failed, Korra."

"I know, that, I-"

Lin smirks. "I can tell you're lying."

Korra jerks away from her, afraid that the metalbender might be able to read her mind. "What?"

Lin laughs, and for once their is a lightness to it, it lacks it's usual bitter edge. "Relax. You give off vibrations when you feel, think, move...I just know what vibrations feel like when you lie. My mother taught me."

"Toph?" The name slips naturally from her lips, and she feels a warm tingle when she says the name, as if the women is a friend.

Was Aang trying to connect with her?

"Obviously." Now the dry humor has returned to Lin's voice.

"Aang and her were good friends, weren't they?"

Lin smirks. "Of course they were. My mother insisted on calling Aang "Twinkletoes" until they were old. He pretended to hate it, but I could tell he always loved it."

"What was she like, your mom?" Korra asks, genuinely curious.

Lin's smile grows until it's a grin, and her light eyes are faded, lost in memories. "She was funny. She was proud, impateint, strong, smart, loud, easily annoyed...she was very loyal. She was a fighter." Her voice has grown ofter with each word, and their is a nostalgic note behind her tone, that sends shivers up Korra's spine.

"She taught you...?"

"Everything. Everything I know." Lin swallows hard and meets Korra's eyes. "She'd be proud of you, Korra."

Korra closes her eyes, pulling a picture of the metal bender to mind. "Thank you," She whispers.

Lin must have said something as she left, but all Korra hears is a soft, tinkling laugh in her thoughts and a voice that was somehow so familiar, yet so foreign: _I'm proud of you, Twinkletoes. _


	25. Chapter 25

**So i know that I have a bunch of prompts I still need to write for you guys, and I promise you I will, but I just felt that after episode 10, Lin deserved her own chapter all to herself. So this is a tribute to Lin Beifong. **

**leave your thoughts in a review? :)  
**

They are going to die.

She can feel it, even as she fights, even as Tenzin urges Oogie to go faster, that it is helpless. She commands the metal forward again, even as it latches itself deep in the sides of the ship, she pulls back, but she knows.

She's stuck,

She looks back at them, at Pema, cradling her new baby in her arms, eyes wide with fear, at Meelo, curled in his mother's lap, so innocent, so brave, at Jinora and Ikki, who were so wise and beautiful for their age.

Tenzin has his back turned to her, but she stares at him anyway. She doesn't need to see his face; she knows it as well as her own. _Goodbye old friend. _

"Whatever happens to me," she says, softly. "Don't turn back."

She extends her fingers, pulling the metal taunt, and steps out onto Oogie's tail, as she used to do with Appa when she and Tenzin were children, and she would leap off his back, laughing while she fell until Aang would swoop down and catch her.

Focusing on that memory, she bends her knees.

"Lin, what are you doing?" Tenzin's voice, and not the voice she's come to associate with him now; his awkward, gentle tone. This is the panicked voice of her best friend, trying to stop her from doing anything stupid. This is the voice of her childhood.

She can't bear to look back and see his expression. Clenching her hand into a fist, she leaps off the skybison's back and swings through the air.

**OoO**

The first ship she takes down easily, and she feels almost pleasure as she slices through the metal, feels it humming and twisting to her commands.

She leaps to the next airship, digging through the metal again, but she can feel people racing towards her-heavy vibrations in the floor-and she knows that this isn't going to be easy.

It happens in a matter of seconds. One instant they're fighting, and then she's down, with electricity racing through her body. She cries out, and curls against the cool metal. Her last sensation is it's gentle vibrations against her fingertips.

**OoO**

Her hands are bound when she opens her eyes.

Her body still aches, but she knows it's only temporary; she's been hit with lightening before.

She also knows, that she is going to die.

Not completely, of course, but the only reason they would bind her hands and feet, make her so worn out and exhausted that she couldn't fight, was if she was going to see Amon. He is going to question her, and she will say nothing.

He's going to take her bending away.

The thought is so horrible, she almost doesn't allow herself to think it. Bending is _who she is. _It is her connection to her mother, her true connection with the world. It is how she senses people around her when she cannot see them, it is everything kind and sweet she associates with her childhood.

And she's going to lose it.

She takes several deep breaths, trying to calm herself. But her heart races on, so fast that she fears it will pound it's way out of her chest.

She can't stop the groan of pain that leaves her lips as they force her to the ground. The vibrations of her fall run up her arms and legs, and she savors them. Savors being able to _feel _the earth for just a few moments.

She looks up, and see's Amon, his masked face staring down at her without emotion, and although she hates herself for it, she can't stop a shiver of fear from running up her spine.

"Tell me where the Avatar is," He says, softly, but with an air of unquestionable command. "And I will let you keep your bending."

She spits the words in his face. "I'm not telling you anything, you monster!"

She can almost picture the smile that twists his mouth, behind the mask. "Very well."

As he walks towards her, each vibration that falls from his feet leave her cold and shivering. Her heartbeats quicken, and she presses her lips together to keep them from trembling. She has to be strong now.

He is behind her. Standing, almost casually, as if he wants to draw the moment out, as if he finds pleasure in it.

She presses herself even harder against the snowy ground, feeling the earth vibrating and humming and moving under her body. She can almost hear her mother's voice: _Close your eyes, Lin. Feel the earth with your whole body; you don't have to see it._

So she closes her eyes.

Amon's cold hand touches her forehead, fingers digging in until his grip was painful.

She arches backwards against his touch, her whole body taunt, eyes wide and unseeing. She can't move. She can't see. She can't _feel. _And the whole time her mind is screaming: _No, no, no! please!_

He releases her, and she collapses, slamming into the ground almost in slow motion.

But she doesn't feel the vibrations from her fall. She only feels cold. The horror of the situation washes over her. She can't _feel. _She presses her hands against the ground, willing herself to feel it shift and move under her fingertips, but the only sensation her hands pick up is the burning cold of the snow.

Memories, thoughts, and images flash behind her eyes.

_She's concentrating so hard, digging her feet into the soil, nearly crying with the effort of staring at the rock. She slides forward and lets out a yell, punching with her fist. _

_ And the rock moves. _

_ The power behind her punch shifts to the piece of stone, and she can feel it obey her, feel it lift and go like she wants it to. She watches as it slides away from her, chest heaving. _

_ "You did it!" Her mother's warm arms encircle her, strong and comforting. "How did that feel, my little earthbender?"_

_ "Great job, Lin!" Aang bends down so he is at her level, and opens his arms. She rushes into them. like she always does, and buries her face in his shoulder. She's tired, but she's so happy she thinks she might fall over. _

_ She hears her mother say smugly, "That's my daughter, Twinkletoes."_

Her mother's words echo in her head as she forces herself back to the present. She presses her cheek against the ground, feeling nothing but cold, cruel snow.

She is no longer an Earthbender.

She is no longer Lin Beifong, not really. Lin Beifong was a metal bender, as strong and fierce as her mother.

Now she is simply Lin. And she doesn't feel strong or fierce at all.

She curls in on herself and sobs until the tears freeze against the cold snow.


	26. Chapter 26

**Thank you to: my phone wont let me log in, for the prompt: Tenzin finds Korra after she's in the Avatar State. I based most of the content of this chapter from chapter 11 of this story, so if you want an interesting twist on the same little one shot, there's a reference. **

**I have so many prompts, and if I miss yours, or if you really want me to write yours, PM it to me. A lot of the prompts I'm getting are getting lost in all of these AWESOME reviews. thanks guys. you're amazing!  
**

He didn't like to admit it to himself, but he was afraid of her.

Her eyes were wide, glowing brilliant white, while she screamed and sobbed with the echo of a thousand voices, her rage sending fire burning, water surging, rocks flying, and air swirling around her head, making her hair whip across her cheeks.

Tenzin had never seen his father go into the Avatar State; Aang had always been gentle and kind to him, rarely raising his voice. He had never felt fear like this before. It was not as if he was afraid that Korra would hurt him, he was scared to see her like this-in so much pain, such unbelievable rage.

People were screaming and running from her wrath, and he knew that if she could truly hear and see this, if _korra, _not Korra and a thousand other spirits, could see this destruction, she would stop.

And she was stopping.

Slowly, he saw her start to cease her wild bending, and the water fell back to it's source with a gentle splash. The fire died in her palms. the wind ceased it's wild howl. The earth stilled, and She sank to the ground.

He was running before he even really realized what he was doing, catching her in his arms and laying her gently down on the ground. She trembled in his arms, not crying, but shaking, as if she were cold.

Her eyes flickered open, slowly, and he was almost shocked at their color. They were a deep, brilliant blue, wet with tears, and piercing him with a thousand different emotions. She stared at him as if she couldn't see him, her eyes wide and blank.

"Korra," He said gently. "Korra, can you hear me?"

At the sound of his voice, the tears start to fall. She let out a wild gasp and threw her arms around, as she had done that night at Aang's Memorial Island. But this time, there is a real sense of fear in the way she clutches him, a desperate need to be comforted. So he wraps his arms around her and holds her, resting his chin against the top of her head while she sobbed wildly into his chest, and the city burned around them.


	27. Chapter 27

**I've gotten many prompts requesting Korra visiting Aang in the spirit world, and this chapter is the answer. **

**who thought the finale was AMAZING? Did you have a favorite part? favorite line? let me know in a review! I'd love to discuss.  
**

**I'm still taking prompts, so keep sending them my way! I have a lot of them to catch up on, but I love writing for this fandom, so The Wind Runners will be around for a long time.  
**

* * *

For a moment, she can't believe that anything that had happened was real.

The rest of the day is full of hugs, excitement, and an endless stream of questions, and although Korra loves all her friends, she is forced to admit that she finds their exuberance overwhelming.

She gets up, and escapes on Naga, running for out until they reach the sea, until the spray of salt water tickles her cheeks, until they can't run anymore. Naga curls up beside her, head resting on her paws, and Korra lets the steady sound of her best friend's breaths lull her racing heart and strong emotions until she is calm.

The day has been a blur, and it is only now that she takes time to look back and reflect on it. She had stopped Amon(no, that wasn't his real name...) she had won. She had lost her bending, and then Aang had given it back. And Mako...

She banishes the thought of the firebender from her mind. The emotions are to confusing and to overwhelming right now. She needs to calm down.

_Aang had given her back her bending._

The gravity and strength of that one sentence nearly rocks her off her feet. She hadn't been the Avatar anymore, she'd been broken and sad and so horribly alone, and _finally-_

She runs a hand across her face, remembering the tingling power that had filled her when Aang had touched her forehead.

She had never said thank you.

The horror of the thought washes over her slowly, until she is staring with her mouth open at her hands. How could she not have thanked him?

Closing her eyes, she sucks in a deep breath and presses her fists together, searching, groping for that place inside herself, the place where power and energy came. Finding it, she dove into it, bathing herself in the tingling sensation, in the emotions.

"Hello again, Korra."

She opens her eyes, and sees Aang, tall, proud, smiling. For a moment she doesn't know what to do, she blinks up at him, not quite trusting herself to speak, and not knowing if she should bow or-

She gaps as he pulls her into his arms, hugging her tightly. For a moment, she tenses. But then as he holds her, her unease begins to trickle away, because this just feels _right_. Talking with Aang is as natural as joking around with Bolin. She buries her face in his chest and hugs him back.

Aang pulls away after a few minutes. "I am so proud of you," He says, and she hears the honesty sincerity in his voice. "You've come so far."

She blushes, and he laughs, softly. "Did you call me for a reason?" He asks, tilting his head to the side, like a curious young child. "Or did you just want to talk? I'm fine with both, you know."

"I-" The words are stuck in her throat, and she clenches her jaw as she feels the emotions beginning to effect her voice, making it waver. "I just wanted to say...thank you."

Her past life reaches out and presses his fingers to the top of her head, just as he had done when he had restored her bending. Her chakra flared, and she shivers at the rush of energy. "You're welcome, Korra." He says, and pulls his hand away. For a moment they stare at each other, not speaking, hardly breathing, but she feels as if their is a conversation going on between them. A connection, like nothing she's never felt before. It's not love, like she has with Mako, it's not friendship, like she has with Bolin, it's not even like her relationship with Tenzin...it's something else. It's an understanding. Because Aang knows exactly what she's going through, the burdens she is carrying, and he doesn't judge her for it. They understand one another.

So, Aang doesn't need to use words when Korra knows it is time for her to leave. He simply dips his head, his lips twitching up into a small smile that says, _I'll see you soon._

She nods, and together, they close their eyes. She can feel the heat from his airbending tatoos as the white energy rushes through both of them, but she keeps her eyes closed tight, until she can feel the snow, cold and wet under her, and until the ocean spray burns against her face.

Slowly, she opens her eyes, and stares out at the dark ocean, the moon peaking out from behind the clouds, the endless stretch that was the world she was destined to protect.

For once, staring out over this vast space doesn't overwhelm her, it doesn't fill her with a sense of failure and sadness. She feels whole, comfortable, and confidant. The world needs a lot of work; it's broken and corrupt and full of sadness, but that's okay. She's the Avatar. She can handle it.

_I'm the Avatar! _She'd said once, _and you've gotta deal with it!_

Her lips twitch up, into a smile, and she spreads her arms out wide, as though embracing it.

"Get ready world," She whispered. "The Avatar's back."

And she's not quite sure if she's imagining it, but she thinks she hears the light sound of Aang's laughter as the wind whispers past her ear.


	28. Chapter 28

**Thank you to Dreamer009 for the prompt: Missing scenes from the finale. **

**This is Tenzin's thoughts when Korra lost her bending.  
**

**Please keep sending me prompts everybody! You know I love them :)  
**

Tenzin knew the instant he saw Korra that something was wrong.

She had changed back into her usual water tribe clothes, but she walked slowly behind Mako, head down, hiding behind her hair.

"Korra," He said when she drew level with him. "Are you-"

She raised her head to look at him, eyes blazing, bright, full of tears. "He took my bending, Tenzin." She whispered, in a tone that was oddly hollow. "It's gone." She started to shake, tremors running from the crown of her head all the way down her body, shoulders hunching as she curled in on herself. "It's gone, it's gone, it's-"

He handed Meelo, who hadn't stopped clinging to him since they'd escaped, to Jinora and folded Korra into his arms. She clung to him, but did not cry. He could hear her whispering softly into his chest, but could not make out the words she said.

He wanted to tell her everything was alright, but it wasn't. It would never be. Korra had had her identity stripped away from her, and-

Mako took a few steps closer to them, biting his lip, torn between comforting Korra and keeping his distance. Finally he looked at Tenzin. "She unlocked her airbending," He said, softly.

Shock let Tenzin unable to move. "What?"

"I can airbend," Korra breathed into his chest, and he felt the wind whispering against her cheeks, feathering through her hair, slipping down her throat as she swallowed, hard. "I can airbend." She repeated the words, over and over.

"Tenzin," Pema tugged gently on his sleeve to get his attention. "Why don't you take Korra inside for awhile?"

And that meant: _Comfort her. Calm her down. Then we can go see your mother._

Nodding to his wife, he pulled Korra to his side so he was supporting most of her weight, and bent down to murmur, "Come with me, Korra."

At another time she would have protested, pushed him away and laughed her tears off, saying she was fine. But now she only nodded and let him half carry her towards the temple, and that frightened him more than it would had she screamed at him.

OoO

She was calm by the time he brought her to the others.

Lin pulled her into an embrace the instant Korra was done with her story, hands lingering on her shoulders as she pulled away. "I can't believe Amon got you too," She said.

And Bolin,playful, irritating, Bolin chimed in, "Hey, at least you unlocked your airbending!"

Tenzin looked up, worried about Korra's reaction, but she only stared at her friend, flatly.

"Bro," Mako said, seriously, "Not the time."

No, Tenzin had to agree. It wasn't.

OoO

Korra sat beside him while they flew to the Southern Watertribe, her hand fisted in the folds of his tunic the entire time. She had refused to release him since he had comforted her earlier that day, but he was unnerved by the contact. It was so unlike Korra, to need this personal touch with him.

She still had not shed a single tear. Her face was set, blank and cold, but he could hear the nervous click of air every time she moved, and sensed her tension and complete terror.

And still, he could not comfort her. He had never been gifted with words, had never needed to truly comfort his daughters before, and dealing with the anguish of a seventeen year old was something that frightened him, if he was perfectly honest with himself.

Oogie touched down lightly on the frozen plains, and Tenzin saw that they had a welcoming party. Korra's parents and Katara were waiting for them.

Korra bit her lip, hard, when she saw them, and he felt her tense.

"Korra," He said softly, as the others-Lin, and Pema, Bolin, Mako, Asami and the children-clamored down to greet their hosts, "Do you need...a moment? Alone?"

She shook her head, even though her eyes desperately told him that yes, she did.

Sighing, he followed her down from his sky bison, and reached for his wife's hand as they walked.

OoO

"Korra," Katara said, softly once they were inside her home, "I can try-"

"Please," Korra said, just as quietly, but with a force that seemed to ring in Tenzin's ears. "Please can we just..." She shook her head, quickly, her eyes flashing a bright brilliant blue, a message: _can we please just get away from them, I can't bear to have them stare at me. _

Tenzin backed away as he saw the meaning in her gaze, and pulled Meelo into his lap.

"Is Korra gonna be okay?" Meelo whispered.

Katara put an arm around Korra's shoulders and led her away from the group, closing the door.

"I don't know, Meelo." Tenzin said, tucking his son closer to him, taking as much comfort in the embrace as Meelo. "I don't know."

As if in answer to Meelo's question, the loud, haunting sound of Korra sobbing echoed through the door.

OoO

The wait seemed to take years, thought Tenzin knew it was only hours.

Meelo had fallen asleep in his arms, and the other members of their group were silent, holding each other, staring with worried eyes at the door that Korra and Katara were working behind.

Occasionally, he could hear his mother murmuring something, but after her initial hour of crying, Korra had not said a word.

He caught Lin's eye across the room. She stared back at him, reading the question in his gaze: _Do you think she'll be alright?_

Lin tilted her head to the side in an approximation of a shrug, which meant: _I don't know. She's strong. _

Korra was strong, Tenzin had never doubted that, but now he found himself wondering she was strong enough to survive this.

OoO

He followed Korra, after she had fled Mako, mostly because he was worried about what she would do. He had never seen his pupil so distraught before, and with Korra impulsive nature...

He watched from a distance as she cried out, sobbing and curling on herself, rocking back and forth, arms wrapped tightly around her knees as if she was holding herself together.

But then she stopped, looked up.

Tenzin felt a shift in the wind, a familiar gust that brushed gently against his face, a caress that Aang had always sent his way before he went to sleep or when he was upset about something.

_Father. _

His father was _here. _Speaking with Korra.

He pressed his fists against his mouth to keep from crying out. He could not see Aang, he was visible to no one but Korra at the moment, but he watched as her tears dried, and she smiled, a real, genuine, giddy smile that lit up her whole face-

She spun away so her back was to him, and flung her head back.

A sharp snap of wind, a blow, struck him in the chest as she lifted her arms, and he skipped backward, eyes widening,

Korra was _bending. _

Earth, Air, Fire, Water, hissed and spun and moved at her command, he could not see her eyes, but he was positive that if he could, he would see them glowing.

He could not stop the grin that spread across his face. _Thank you, father. _

He knew now, that Korra would be fine. No, she would not be just fine, he thought, watching as her feet touched lightly to the ground and she saw Mako. Watching as he caught her up in his arms, as they kissed.

She would be extraordinary.


	29. Chapter 29

**CaskettFanGirl gave me this awesome prompt WEEKS ago, and I'm sorry I haven't written it sooner! But here it is the story that follows the prompt: **

**Lyrics from "Possibility" by Lykke Li**

"So tell me when you hear my heart stop/You're the only one that knows/Tell me when you hear my silence/There's a possibility I wouldn't know"_  
_

_He would always know her, inside and out. _

Mako repeated the thought fiercely to himself as he waited for Katara to fix Korra's bending. Because she _would _fix Korra's bending. She had too.

But then when Katara stepped out of the room, with her eyes sad and her shoulders hunched, Mako felt his heart leap into this throat. Because he knew that look, that look of: _I'm so sorry, but..._

He almost fled the room, right then and there, because he didn't want to hear the news, didn't want it to be real.

But then Korra slipped out behind Katara, and for a moment her emotions were raw, completely displayed on her face-and the pain he saw there made it hard to breathe, made his heart skip a beat in his chest.

He promised, just as he had promised Bolin when they were children, that he would help Korra through this. That he would keep her alive.

OoO

He was the only one who knew her pain.

Maybe that was a little possessive of him, but it was true. Ever since that first kiss, she opened up to him, whispering her fears and heartaches in his ears at night, her joy and loves during the day while they sparred.

He knew her now. The real, strong, beautiful Korra.

The woman he had always caught glimpses of, but had never really seen before.

So every night, he caught her up in his arms and stared at her, stared at her eyes, her eyes that could display her whole soul if she wanted them too, or could display nothing but flat, hard determination.

He was glad she let him see into her soul.

OoO

"You're scared," He said, leaning down to brush his lips close to her ear.

She flinched at his closeness and shoved him away. "What, no I'm not!"

"Yes you are." Catching the hand that had pushed him, he pulled her closer. "You're afraid to face the city as a full realized Avatar. You're afraid to change."

"How do you know that?" She demanded, turning to him with eyes that flared like the wild blue of the ocean.

He leaned forward, so they were close enough to kiss. "Because I hear your silence, Korra. I hear what you don't have to say."

She smiled.

OoO

He would always know her, inside and out.

He knew her even when she didn't know herself. When she would wildly scream and fight and snarl, when she would wake with past lives spinning around in her mind, when she refused to be comforted, he knew her.

Even if there was a possibility that she still didn't really know herself.

He would help her find the woman he saw. And the woman he saw wasn't Avatar Korra.

She was simply Korra.


	30. Chapter 30

**Thank you to Alex Leep for the prompt: The true mystery of the avatar**

**this turned out to be a lot darker and serious than I expected it to be...let me know what you think.  
**

People always found the Avatar mysterious.

Not Korra herself, maybe, but the idea behind the Avatar definitely held mystery. One person with the ability to control all four elements? A connection with spirits? Past lives? To any ordinary person, the Avatar was someone to admire, someone to look up, to someone to be envious of.

In Korra's experience, there really was no great mystery.

She trained. She trained hard-she had worked her whole life to master water, earth and fire, and she was sure she would need to work for a few more years to master air. But any other person worked to accomplished what they had in life.

She had little contact with spirits until now, but even when she woke up in the spirit world instead of in bed beside Mako, she didn't find it mysterious or strange. It was simply part of who she was.

The real mystery of being the Avatar, was how any of the other Avatar's had stayed so happy.

She had friends, a boyfriend even, and she knew that both Aang and Roku had been married, but there was a weight to her soul that she knew ordinary people did not have-a kind of ancient sadness that would make itself known at the oddest times.

She would feel a bone-deep wrench in her gut whenever someone mentioned dragons, or penguin sledding, whenever she saw a young child running and laughing through the streets, she would think _they are so innocent. If only..._

Those were not the thoughts of a seventeen year old girl. Of a woman in general.

Being the Avatar was something else entirely, something that added to the burden of life, and though Korra wouldn't have changed anything, she can't help but feel a little weighed down by it at times.

That was the true mystery of the Avatar, she thought, how they all managed to go through life with a smile on their face.


	31. Chapter 31

**Thank you to InfinitelySilver for the prompt: Korra reflects on how her and Lin Beifong are more alike than they seem **

She had always looked up to Lin Beifong.

Even in the beginning, when it had seemed like the police chief had hated her, Korra had been unable to deny a grudging respect for the other women. She was a powerful bender, the daughter of Toph, and clearly her and Tenzin had some sort of relationship(She knew all about that now...) and Korra instantly felt a connection with her.

Now though, that Lin is her friend, she sees herself in the metalbender.

Lin is headstrong, very much an earthbender, with her feet rooted in the ground and her will as hard as the metal she commanded. She was gruff, but kind, showing her true emotions when they truly mattered, sharing her thoughts in a soft whisper late at night when Korra couldn't sleep.

She was there to pull Korra way from Tenzin when her airbending training was to slow or to overwhelming, and they would spar until they were both out of breath.

Lin could find Korra when she didn't want to be found, when she felt so _alone, _and come and sit with her. And it was time like those that Korra can almost swear she hears a soft voice whisper, _I got you, Twinkletoes. _

She has an undeniable connection with Lin, almost like the one she has with Tenzin, but with Lin, she knows that although the earthbender cannot help but compare her to Aang, she sees Korra as she is: not just the Avatar, but a annoying seventeen year old, and her gruff exasperation says more than sentimental words ever could.

Lin has her secrets, but then again, so does Korra. And Korra is glad that they trust each other enough not to speak of things from the past, or old hurts, or Aang.

Somewhere along the line, when Korra was older, nearly twenty, and she finally, _finally _beat Lin in a sparring match, she sees the metal bender smirk. "Nice." She says.

And something in her voice tells Korra that not only has she always looked up to Lin.

Lin has looked up to her too.


	32. Chapter 32

**sorry for the long wait guys...**

**thanks to Alex Leep for the prompt: Lightening.  
**

**Reviews and prompts make my day! :)  
**

Korra did not like lightening.

It wasn't that she was opposed to bending it if she had too-and she knew how, she was a firebender, of course-but there was something about it that scared her.

She was not like Mako, who could bend lightening as easily as he could bend fire, who had such perfect control over an element that could kill you in an instant if you messed up. She envied him.

But she had always been a little to wild for lightening, to much like a waterbender, to easy going and lax with her movements to perfect her mastery of the element. She danced with fire, flowed with water, and commanded the earth, but lightening was something she could not grasp easily. Even air came more easily to her now than lightening ever had.

She could appreciate the beauty of it-how it arched and split across the sky, the crackle of power, the intensity of it's strike-and she often sat up late at night during a storm just to watch the fire dance across the sky, to feel it singing in her bones as the earth rumbled under her feet and the rain pounded against her cheeks.

Sometimes, Jinora would come out and sit with her. The young Airbender did not say speak much, for once, but sat quietly, reflectively, the shadows highlighting her cheekbones and making her look older than her age. One night, she turned to Korra and said, quietly, "Are you afraid of lightening?"

"Sometimes." Korra said, barely realizing she had spoken aloud until the girl nodded.

"Why? You're the Avatar! You can control it, can't you?"

If anyone else had asked that question, Korra would have snapped back a cold reply and stalked away, but since this was Jinora, she considered the question.

"I don't have unlimited power, Jinora." She said, softly. "And bending lightening was never really my thing."

"Oh." The girl was quiet for a time, but than she said. "I would be scared, to have that much fire and power running through you. I think I would be too scared to move."

Korra smiled and ruffled her hair, running her fingers lightly and gently through the silky strands so she didn't hurt Jinora. "You're a pretty brave kid, Jinora. I think you'd do just fine."

The airbender looked up at her. "Really?"

"Really." Korra returned her gaze to the darkening storm clouds, watching as another dash of electric-blue lightening split the sky in two, illuminating the island in harsh light. An idea came to her mind and she said, "Do you want to hear a story, Jinora?"

She could picture the girl's expression: eyes wide, mouth smiling, face lightening up like Korra had suggested the most wonderful thing in the world. The excitement was plain in Jinora's tone as well: "Of course I would!"

"Alright, I've got a good one," Korra said, and reached for her young friend's hand, twining their fingers together and squeezing gently to ensure she had the airbender's attention. "Once upon a time," She began softly as thunder sent vibrations through the earth and through her feet and lightening crackled above their heads, "there was a princess who could bend lightening..."


End file.
